Asian Mint???

Just came back from eating at "Asian Mint" and noticed all of "The Best Of ...." this and that awards posted on the wall.......

Best part about the whole experience is that I am never going back!! An example of a "wanna be" Thai(?) restaurant. Nothing was spicy, we weren't asked if we wanted anything spicy, there was no soy or hot chili sauce on the table, the service was was rude, and wayyyyyy overpriced!!!!

You can go for Royal Thai but if you want the real stuff save up for a trip to three restaurants across the metroplex:

Bangkok Orchid in Irvinghttp://www.bangkokorchidtx.com/Never have met the chef here but the wait staff sure do light up when you ask for the Authentic thai menu dishes.Recs - Pad Cha Chicken, Basil Leaves with Catfish Flakes, Grilled Pork with Lime Juice (I believe this is Nam Tok), Fish Nuggets with Red Curry, and Basil Leaves with Crispy Roasted Pork. They also had a special dish on the menu board that was avocado curry. Sounded interesting so I will get that next time.

Andaman Thai in Dentonhttp://www.andamanthairestaurant.com/...Achava is the chef there and Kanda is his wife both can bang out any request for special dishes or the regular menu is also great. If you want it spicy they will give it to you spicy.

Jasmine Thai #1 in PlanoUnfortunately it looks like their website is down. I only go to the one on Spring Creek and Custer (never to the others). Attached are the photos of the Thai Menu you have to ask for it. Ask for Paul and he can translate it for you. The grilled or Fried Prawns are spectacular, the crispy water spinach salad was a crowd favorite, green papaya salad with crab, Southern Yellow Curry (Keang Lang Tay Thai), Thai Herbal Chicken, bataba and Jungle Curry. If you like hot order the Jungle Curry Thai hot and tell me what you think. I think it was not near as hot as the Khua Kling at Andaman in Denton.

Yes I would say that Bangkok Orchid is more authentic in that they will have some dishes you won't see at any "wanna be" and even some more authentic places. I have been to Royal Thai several times and just have been underwhelmed each time given my experiences at Bangkok Orchid, Anadaman and Jasmine.

I had Pad Cha both at Bangkok Orchid and Andaman within a week of each other very recently and I preferred the Bangkok Orchid version. Basically the dish is your standard stir fry but special ingredients are krachai and prik thai. Prik Thai is green peppercorns that have been slightly pickled and come still attached to the stem. Krachai is fingerroot or lesser galangal, so a type of ginger. Bangkok Orchid has a more herbaceous flavor from the large amount of krachai and basil. Andaman there were little flecks of the krachai, so I would have preferred more and he likes to fry the thai basil, making it taste flat.

Restaurants are in the biz to make money and Asian food in Dallas is a hard sell to most people. People like their food tame (2 on the spice scale is pushing it) and sweet. The more authentic Thai dishes are less sugary because of the use of palm sugar vs refined cane sugar. The palm sugar is sweet but it lets the savory aspects of the fish sauce used in the base of the curries and pan sauces to shine a bit. This is just one of many. Another would be the Thai people like their dishes hot for one main reason, it is hot along the equator and thus a spicy dish would make you sweat and sweating in turn would cool you off. This is true of any cuisine around the equator. The more authentic dishes start at a level 3 on a 5 level scale (some dishes can never be tamed down due to the inherent nature of the ingredients, Khua Kling - translates to roaring chilies being one of them

)

Sorry if the post sounded like a lesson but not I am not sure of your knowledge of Thai ingredients/cooking. Below is a great recipe website. And Clay's Kitchen website above is great for a list of all the ingredients.

To expound a little more on Bangkok, the waitresses are very patient with diners and are willing and (as LH noted) happy to explain any dish - to the point of almost cautioning if they think necessary; ie, my friend was warned, "crispy pork are pork rinds and "most" people don't like it cause it's very hard". That was appreciated, though my friend did order it, ate it, but wouldn't order it again...... because it was very hard. :)

I've been in there a couple of times and one of those times was a Sat, mid-afternoon and they were unusually *packed* for that time of day on Sat. There was only one person to seat, take orders, serve and cashier. Most anyone else would have been in a frenzy, but this woman remained calm, treating each table as though it were her only table. And thankfully, the patrons remained patient also and began sharing menus, pitcher of water, etc.

Yes I have...it will be with the pickled items along with the Prik Thai. I got mine at the Vietnamese store in Irving at Rochelle and Beltline....this was a few years ago. I would imagine Hong Kong and the Thai market in Garland would have them both.

If you live in the area it is good b/c frankly there isn't but say four or five Thai places in the Uptown/HP/UP/M Streets/Lakewood/SMU area. Royal Thai is the best of that bunch. I used to go there for lunch from Preston Center (where I used to work) to get some sort of Asian food. The area is severly lacking any kind of Vietnamese though, Vietnam would be my only choice.

As far as I'm concerned, there is really no good asian or any sort in the area you stated. I live in that area, but am spoled as my offiece is in East Richardson. Is there anything "in town" that I've missed?

I would have to agree Oishii mixes both Vietnamese and a few Japanese dishes. I do know the chef there , Thanh, is from S. Vietnam. If I were going in there I would be pressing him for something special that is a specialty in the South.

As far as Thai, Royal Thai is the best followed either by Bangkok City or Bangkok Inn on Oram (Skillman @ Live Oak). I thought Bangkok Inn was a edged out Bangkok City by a slim margin on personal experience.

I have heard several rumblings of Thai Noodles and Rice on Fitzhugh in a dodgey area and heard of the monks in the neighborhood dining there. I have never personally stopped in but it looks like the other fast food gloppy prepared restaurants. I would not have high hopes going there. You can be the judge.

I was a bit mystified by Asian Mint too & how it's gotten a good reputation. I had something that was fried in oil that wasn't fresh. The best part of my experience there was the conversation, and luckily we can do that anywhere ...

I wasn't aware it was meant to be a Thai restaurant tho ... it seemed to be Asian this and Asian that.

Sorry to hear about your not so great experiece at Asian Mint. I have been there many times and have always thought the food was fantastic. I think thePad Thai is the best in the city. I have also been to the Sister place Mint and really enjoyed it as well.